Nate Diaz has no sympathy for Tony Ferguson or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
If you're just waking up, we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but there's some truly awful news. Tony Ferguson has withdrawn from UFC 223's headliner against Khabib Nurmagomedov on six days' notice. The greatest lightweight title fight in UFC history has fallen through at the start of fight week.
Featherweight king Max Holloway will step up to fight the undefeated Dagestani for the undisputed lightweight championship as 'El Cucuy's replacement. Holloway and Nurmagomedov have a combined UFC win streak of 21 which is the longest in UFC title fight history.
However, the late notice and weight difference mean that Nurmagomedov will be favourite heading into this bout.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/980706123564158976
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To MMA fans, this news will come as a devastating blow. Ferguson vs Nurmagomedov seems to be a genuinely cursed match-up. This is the fourth time it has been booked and subsequently fallen through.
When it was booked for December 2015, Nurmagomedov pulled out with a rib injury. Ferguson withdrew at UFC on Fox 19 after doctors told him he had fluid and blood in his lung. A
botched weight cut forced Nurmgomedov out of UFC 209's co-main for the interim strap and now this.
Nate Diaz has found humour in the fight falling through. He has previous with Ferguson, who claimed in 2017 that the Stockton native was refusing to fight him. So naturally enough, Diaz was on hand to mock UFC 223's headliner falling apart.
https://twitter.com/NateDiaz209/status/980631435324227585
https://twitter.com/NateDiaz209/status/980634943654043649
Diaz hasn't fought since losing a majority decision to Conor McGregor in August 2016. He has indicated that he wishes to return to the Octagon this summer. However, the story hasn't progressed past him merely saying he wants to come back to the UFC.
